Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Lionel Bart: The Horror! The Horror!

'From bowls of cocaine in his Fun Palace... to cheap vodka in a shabby flat: How Oliver! creator Lionel Bart's greatest success ended up destroying him.'

The Daily Mail.

Lionel had a very nice maisonette flat in posh Acton and - as you bizarrely make clear in the text - left a million pounds in his will.
What a disaster!

5 comments:

  1. Did he produce anything remotely good after Oliver!?

    ReplyDelete
  2. and the answer to that is "No". :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is a myth he died after Oliver!
    Both Blitz! and Maggie May were successful.
    UND!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9qJtmw2c5U

    Judy Garland made an album of Blitz!
    Call yourself a poof?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judy Garland made an album of some of the songs from Maggie May, not Blitz! Lionel's successes after Oliver!, as well as Blitz! and Maggie May, included the film of Oliver! which made a fortune. Unfortunately little of this money went to Lionel, who had sold most of his rights. He also lost a great deal of money on his flop Twang!!. He was broke and drunk throughout the seventies, but bounced back in the eighties and nineties, lived in his nice maisonette in Acton, enjoyed the success of the various Oliver! revivals, had a number 1 with the Young Ones version of 'Living Doll' and even, thanks to Cameron Mackintosh, got some of his royalties back. The drinking years had done for his health, though, and his was in and out of hospital with various life-threatening ills. All this, and so much more, can be read in 'Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - The Life of Lionel Bart' by David and Caroline Stafford, published by Omnibus Press. Thank you for your kind attention.

      Delete
  4. Blitz and Maggie May!!!???

    Yeah, those are still talked about, frequently performed and highly praised works. Definitely.
    No way did he instantly turn to shit. No diddly oh!!

    ReplyDelete